Episode #548 - Days 56-58 Appalachian Trail 2026

Mighty Blue On The Appalachian Trail: The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis

Steve Adams

Sports, Wilderness

4.8 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I've reached the quarterway point of the Application Trail, and am getting dark thoughts about the weather in the next few months. It is already unseasonably warm, so June through August should be pretty alarming when they arrive.

i now have a plan of completing 86 miles per week that would get me to Katahdin by the very end September. It means I'll have to up my game a bit, but I feel that now is the time.

Along the way these past few days, I managed to record Dave Santi about plans for an Over the Hill Gang reunion on a long trail. Also, I bumped into Twister and Beef when they were giving out some trail magic.

I'm using Polarsteps to record my AT thru-hike this year. If you'd like to follow my progress between episodes, as well as photos of my journey, please go to https://www.polarsteps.com/mightyblue and click on the follow button.

I used my hike in 2024 on the South West Coast Path in the UK to help raise money for my absolute favorite charity, Parenting Matters, on whose board I've been privileged to serve for over a decade. You can learn more about the hike and the organization–and donate–by visiting Hike with Steve - Empowering Parents, One Step at a Time | Parenting Matters %. I hope you want to support this critical mission.

Don't forget. Our entire series of videos from our Woods Hole Weekend in 2022 is now FREE and available at my YouTube page at Woods Hole Weekend - Trailer There, you'll find all sorts of tips and tricks that our guests took away from the weekend that helped them with their own hikes this year. Check it out.

I often ask listeners for ideas on who to interview, and I'm sure several of you say, "I could do that. I've got an awesome story to tell." You're the person we need to hear from. If you'd like to be interviewed on the podcast, just register as a guest on the link below, and I'll be in touch. Come on the show!

If you like what we're doing on the Hiking Radio Network, and want to see our shows continue, please consider supporting us with either a one-off or monthly donation. You'll find the donate button on each Hiking Radio Network page at Hiking Radio Network .

Additionally, you can join our membership at Steve (Mighty Blue) Adams. It's worth checking out what is on offer for you there.

If you prefer NOT to use PayPal, you can now support us via check by mailing it to Mighty Blue Publishing, 3821 Milflores Drive, Sun City Center, FL 33573. Any support is gratefully received.

Additionally, you can "Zelle" me a donation to steve@hikingradionetwork.com. Or "Venmo" me at @‌Steve-Adams-105. They both work!

If you'd like to take advantage of my book offer (all three of my printed hiking books–with a personal message and signed by me–for $31, including postage to the United States) send a check payable to Mighty Blue Publishing at the address just above.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the Hiking Radio Network, where we talk the walk with shows by hikers about hikers for everybody.
0:18.1	Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail, the ultimate midlife crisis,
0:25.6	joins Stephen his guests every week as he staggers from Georgia to Maine.
0:36.1	Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. You're listening to Mighty Blue on the Appalachian Trail
0:42.3	and I'm continuing my third through hike of the AT. In fact, I'm nearly two months into it and
0:47.9	at exactly the quarter way point. I've been working out what I need to do to be done by the end of
0:54.1	September. I've started to implement that plan and I'll be telling you about that in a moment. But before we find out what's been happening in these past few days, let's hear from our sponsor, Polo Steps. If you're heading out on a long hike this year, which I am, I've got something I think you're going to love. It's called Polar Steps. It's a travel tracking app that's going to become a favorite with hikers.
1:44.2	You say, which I am, I've got something I think you're going to love. It's called Polo Steps. It's a travel tracking app that's going to become a favourite with hikers. You set your start date, let it run quietly in the background, and it maps your entire journey automatically, all on your own beautiful spinning 3D globe. And don't worry, the tracking feature uses about 4% of your battery on a single charge, so it's not going to kill your phone when you're out there. You can add photos and short journal entries as you go, so your map shows you where you were and your words remind you of what that day actually felt like. There's a light social layer too. Family and friends can follow along, or you can keep it completely private. As every hiker says, hike your own hike. And when you're done,
1:45.1	you can relive the whole thing in the app
1:46.7	or turn it into a stunning coffee table book
1:49.0	with your root, stats, photos and stories.
1:52.3	And did I tell you that it's entirely free
1:53.8	to download and use?
1:55.2	The only time you'll be paying anything
1:56.7	is if you decide to turn your trip into a book.
1:59.9	That's polar steps.
2:01.7	Track it now,
2:14.6	treasure it forever. Day 56, which was last Sunday and another zero day, of course,
2:20.7	at trial days. I got up and made scrambled eggs for everybody.
2:24.9	They seemed to like them, so I still know how to make them, fortunately.
2:28.9	We decided to go into trail days.
2:32.5	We knew it wasn't likely to be all that full or all that busy,
	...

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